NSW Nationals 'Steve' Gulaptis MP places his ignorance on display once again

Theft represents one of most likely sources of firearms for the illicit market according to the Australian Institute of Criminality.

The AIC Monitoring Report 16 went on to observe that:

·     *   In 2008-09 of the total firearms reported as stolen, 89 per cent followed from an unlawful entry into a building or vehicle and, private residential premises comprised 77 per cent of all firearm theft locations.

·     *    A total of 77 per cent were taken from registered owners. In almost 18 per cent of incidents where private residential or business premises were broken into, the theft was aided by the premises being unsecured at the time of the burglary.

·     *    Ammunition was stolen with firearms in 27 per cent of reported incidents of firearm theft in 2008-09.

·     *    In the same financial year, 22 per cent of affected firearms owners were found in breach of firearms law by police. A large number had failed to secure their firearm/s.

In other words criminals are likely to obtain their guns and/or ammunition from ordinary citizens who have inadequately or carelessly stored these items or failed to secure the premises.

On 30 May 2012 the Daily Liberal reported that; Thieves gained entry to a property on Pilliga Road, Kenebri between 8.30am and 5pm Tuesday, making off with eight pistols, eight rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Clearly measures which might limit the amount of ammunition sold and track the lawful movement of such ammunition are in order.

Before the NSW Legislative Assembly on 29 May 2012 was a bill (apparently reflecting a request by the Police Commissioner) which seeks to:

(a) to prevent the sale of ammunition by a licensed firearms dealer to a shooter unless the purchaser is the registered owner of, or has a permit to acquire, a firearm that takes the ammunition (in addition to the existing requirement that the purchaser must hold a licence or permit for a firearm that takes the ammunition),
(b) to require licensed firearms dealers to keep records of purchases and sales of ammunition.

Yet the historically, civilly and politically ignorant NSW Nationals MP for Clarence, Chris Gulaptis, rose to his feet and said this:

I have to say from the outset that this bill is fundamentally flawed. It is flawed because it targets the wrong people. This bill makes it tough on law-abiding registered gun owners instead of criminals. Once this bill is passed the law-abiding public will have to deal with the additional costs and red tape associated with owning a firearm. Farmers, sporting shooters and gun shop owners are the ones that will carry the cost, and for the criminals it is business as usual.

UPDATE: An investigation into Sydney gun crime has revealed a near 20% jump in the number of firearms stolen from legitimate owners. [7 News 8 May 2012]

“Dear JUSTICE VICKERY”: When bankruptcy goes all shouty and lands you in the Big Boys' Court

R v Vasiliou [2012] VSC 216 (25 May 2012)

Click on image to enlarge

It's whale watching time on the NSW North Coast

Whale breaching off the Australian east coast

The Sydney Morning Herald 2011

Although the Government of Japan’s sponsored Antarctic whale hunt last season killed an admitted 266 minke whales and one fin whale, the annual migration north to warmer waters is well under way.

Right Wales tend to summer in the Great Australian Bight, while Minke and Fin whales have rather secretive migration paths. So it is the Humpback Whale which is most often sighted between May and November as it travels to and from its northern feeding and breeding grounds.

From Emerald Beach (near Coffs Harbour) right up to Tweed Heads and the NSW-Queensland border, North Coast residents and visitors are sure to sight whales in 2012 as the Humpback migration is expected to be around 17,000 cetaceans strong.

If you are out on the water as a whale passes, remember that the law requires that you do not closely interact with these mammals.

From the NSW Dept. of Environment & Heritage:

Definitions

Approach distance—see figures 1-3 (referred to as 'prescribed distance' in the Regulation): a distance beyond which a vessel or person may not approach a marine mammal. 

Caution zone: a distance of between 100 m and 300 m from a whale and between 50 m and 150 m from a dolphin. In the caution zone, vessels must travel at a constant slow speed and leave a negligible wake.

Negligible wake: wake that does not create waves big enough to make nearby boats move.

Prohibited vessels: these are vessels that can make fast and erratic movements and not much noise underwater, so there is more chance they may collide with a marine mammal. Such vessels include personal motorised watercraft like jet skis, parasail boats, hovercraft, hydrofoils, wing-in-ground effect craft, remotely operated craft or motorised diving aids like underwater scooters.

Vessels: these are watercraft that can be used as transport including motorised or non-motorised boats, surfboards, surf skis and kayaks.

Figure 1: Approach distances for whales

Figure 2: Approach distances for dolphins

How close can vessels and aircraft get to whales and dolphins?

·        
For a vessel, the approach distance is 100 m from a whale or 50 m from a dolphin.

·      When calves are in the pod, the approach distance for a vessel is 300 m from a whale or 150 m from a dolphin.

·       For a prohibited vessel, the approach distance is always 300 m from a whale or dolphin.

·       Helicopters or gyrocopters must not get closer (in height or distance) than 500 m to a whale or dolphin.

·       Other planes must not get closer (in height or distance) than 300 m to a whale or dolphin.

Figure 3: Height restrictions for whales and dolphins

At what speeds can vessels travel around or approach marine mammals?

Vessels must always travel at a safe speed which will enable them to stop in time to avoid distressing or colliding with an animal. This speed cannot be expressed as a maximum number of knots as it will vary according to circumstances and conditions. In the caution zone, the speed must be constant and slow, and leave a negligible wake.

Whales and dolphins rely on sounds underwater to communicate, find food and navigate so vessel operators need to travel at a speed that will minimise the noise around them, and ensure their vessel does not suddenly change its direction.

For details of how to minimise wake from a vessel visit NSW Maritime's website or phone 131 256.

How should a vessel operator approach a whale or dolphin?

First, assess the direction the animals are travelling in then plan a course so your vessel will not cut across their path, or put the vessel directly in front of or behind them. Approach the caution zone at an angle of not less than thirty degrees from their direction of travel at a steady constant speed, being aware of changes in animal behaviour or direction.

Under the Regulation, a vessel operator cannot enter the caution zone if there are more than two other vessels already in it. This may mean waiting for other vessels to leave. If there are two or fewer vessels in the caution zone, continue on course at a constant slow speed and travel alongside the animals, no closer than 100 m away from whales or 50 m from dolphins.

If there is a calf in a group (defined as half the length of the adult of the same species), it is illegal under the Regulation to enter the caution zone.

Be aware of other vessel movements and changes in animal movement or behaviour. Never chase or encircle a whale or dolphin or drive through the middle of a group.

Barry O'Fibba - this is your new best mate. Still want his support?

As he came down there was an unearthly scream as the full weight of the falling bull collapsed his heaving lungs, expelling through the trunk and sending an involuntary shiver through me. On the ground now, on bended knee the ochre coloured wet bull thrashed around with its trunk, paralysed unable to move. I reloaded as the empties flicked over my shoulder & the PH yelled to drill him again. As I approached I moved in quickly, not being sure at all exactly at that time what had happened. As I approached with some caution he lunged as far forward as his trunk & position allowed, trying to grab me. At this I placed two frontal brain shots into the now almost defunct bull and it was all over.
{Robert Borsak, Shooters and Fishers Party, writing about one of the elephants he killed}

Background:

Friday, 1st June 2012 Oi, Barry O'Fibba! Keep those bloody guns out of our national parks, state conservation areas and nature reserves!

Twenty years ago today..............

Mabo v Queensland No. 2 1992 (Cth)
3 June 1992

Editor has a lend of his readers

Northern Star editor David Kirkpatrick is prone to s-t-r-e-t-c-h things a bit, but today's piece is going way too far.

Under the heading 'Striving for balance and accuracy' Fitzpatrick wrote: "If I had a dollar for every time this newspaper was accused of bias I'd be a millionaire by now."

Now, come on David, how long have you been at the Star?

One million times! That's 1,000,000.

Kirkpatrick went on with the male bovine excrement when he added, "... we journalists live by a code of ethics. We have ours printed large on a poster in our tea room. I'd also be a millionaire for the number of times a journo has come to me for advice and I have referred them to that poster for the answer."

Seriously, how does the bloke get anything done at all!? If he's not reading and/or hearing comments about bias he has journos queueing up to seek his valuable advice.

Kirkpatrick has, according to his own count of things, known of or been involved with two million (yes, that's 2,000,000) events associated with either perceptions of bias or providing advice to other journos.

The best part in Kirkpatrick's piece was at the end where he wrote: "It's all about telling a story in the most interesting way we can find. Like song writers and their fans, I'll leave our readers to draw their own conclusions about our stories." Oh, how true!!!

Here's a bit of advice for Kirkpatrick - take your hand off it.

Read the AJA's Code of Ethics here.

After reading the code of ethics, take the next step and read 'How to be a journalist in one easy lesson'.